Michele Hamilton (she/her) is a first generation American of Jamaican parents.

Having grown up in New York City, in an environment defined by police brutality, mass homelessness, and the HIV/AIDS crisis, Michele has been working to advance social justice since age 15. 

She moved to Central PA in 2003, taking a job at CentreSafe, and has worked with survivors of domestic and sexual violence ever since. Michele’s experiences in the CentreSafe shelter provide her a special fuel to achieve universal healthcare, childcare for all who need it, and a dignified, living wage.  Michele is passionate about multiple issues, including ending racism and xenophobia, homophobia and transphobia, reversing climate change, and creating livable communities, with emphasis on anti-violence (domestic and sexual), economic stability, and secure housing. She believes the path to successful and transformational reform begins with a serious study of all people’s history, to understand how we’ve gotten to this place of extreme injustice, and how the influence of “mass media” and sideways social media is an obstacle to that learning and reform process.

The social service advocacy organizations Michele volunteers for are: Healthcare for All PA, PA Religious Coalition for Reproductive Justice, PA Immigration Citizenship Coalition, 320 Coalition (Police reform, civilian review), and 4CR Centre County Coronavirus Community Response.